Don't be a Turkey Person

Coach Bill Courtney - subject of the 2012 ACADEMY AWARD WINNING documentary UNDEFEATED - talks about a learning experience from his days coaching at Manassas High School in North Memphis.

Bill Courtney is no turkey coach:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Marc Jacobs

Sunday Funnies

Pirouetting Return Station with Physio Balls

This idea had occurred to me back in April, as a way to not have to spot all the time, and where a wall is unavailable to act as spotter. 

I might bring the balls a bit closer in and advise this gymnast to land the back of her legs against the ball when completing her pirouette (rather than her shins hitting) so as to encourage her sense of weight transfer to stay more on top of the bar.

The only downside to this setup is when the boys reclaim use of their own equipment. [/snicker]

"How much are your kids willing to suffer?"

 

More important than talent, is having the willingness to pay your dues and go through the fire of suffering and sacrifice:

Anson Dorrance is the women’s soccer coach of the twenty-two time National Champion University of North Carolina. He once encountered Mia Hamm, the reigning college player of the year, and already one of the top players in the world, training by herself early one morning on a hot, humid summer day. As he watched, she pushed herself through sprint after sprint, falling to the ground and gasping for breath after each. He wrote the following message to her:

“The true vision of a champion is someone bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.”

Mia Hamm went on to become the best player in the world, not only because she had talent and great coaching, but because she was willing to suffer more than her competitors.

Are you instilling a willingness to suffer in your athletes? In your kids? Are you challenging them, making them uncomfortable, pushing them hard, and then pushing a little harder?

Are your kids willing to suffer?

If they are not, they can still do a lot of things in life, but becoming an elite athlete is probably not one of them.

Hat tip:  Blanton Gymnastics Consultancy

Sunday Funnies